Secret
by Dark Ice Dragon
Summary: Takeo and M-21 are planning something; Tao's on the case to find out what.


**Summary**: Takeo and M-21 are planning something; Tao's on the case to find out what.

Set after season two.

* * *

**Secret**

By Dark Ice Dragon

* * *

Takeo and M-21 were planning something. Tao knew it, and they knew he knew too. It didn't stop them from sharing Significant Glances and then walking off together when he could see them.

He could check what they were doing with his cameras, but that would make things too _easy_, and they were obviously challenging him to find out what they were doing.

It wouldn't take him long to find out anyway, even with his handicap.

xOx

Tao frowned at his computer monitor as he leaned back in his chair, humming. Huh. Their credit cards hadn't revealed anything – no out of the ordinary purchases or cash withdrawals (unless they'd withdrawn the cash for whatever they were planning, pretending it was for their usual stuff).

He hadn't found out anything from their mobiles either, no notes or dates saved on their calendars. So that meant they were planning it their heads, to make sure he couldn't find anything out.

Well, there were other ways to find out information.

xOx

The next day, Tao studied Takeo and M-21 from a distance at the school. He knew their body language and it was still as open as it ever could be, and…it hadn't changed at all, now that Tao was paying attention. They didn't hold themselves like they were trying to keep a secret (and, okay, their very existence was a secret, but Tao could tell when they were trying to hide something from _him_).

Their body language didn't change at all when he approached them either, cans in hand. They weren't trying to hide anything from him. Huh. But that couldn't be right…

xOx

"No, it's too perfect," Tao decided a day later, after he'd pored over a possible electronic trail again, just in case Takeo and M-21 had tried to cover their tracks. He'd found absolutely no trace of tampering, which was suspicious in itself.

And there was only one person who would be able to do that perfectly.

xOx

"Boss?" Tao called out in Boss' lab as he entered, trying to spot his blond hair. He saw black hair instead, and Tao smiled at _him_; he got a small nod in response.

"Hm? Tao?" Boss said from behind a machine that looked like it was counting down for something – there were two minutes left. "Is there something wrong?"

"No," Tao said, shaking his head. Before Tao could say any more, Boss blinked and then slid his gaze to _him_. When Tao looked, there was a small smile on his lips.

…Okay, now he _had_ to know what Takeo and M-21 were doing.

"You're not going to give me a hint, are you?" Tao said, sighing. Damn.

"There are no hints to give," _he_ replied, still smiling.

Which meant he had everything he needed. Hmm. "Got'cha." So all he had to do was put them together.

xOx

While Tao entered the house after leaving the lab, he could hear Takeo and M-21 chatting.

"-if you did that, then you wouldn't-"

Takeo looked up and saw him. "I like using the berettas though." He tilted his head, smiling. "Tao."

M-21 stopped talking. "Hey."

"Yo," Tao greeted back, waving a hand as he came over.

"Been busy lately?" M-21 asked, his face perfectly bland.

"A little bit," Tao replied, just as normally. Nothing happening here, nope. "I'll be finished soon."

Takeo nodded. "Ah, that's good to hear." He glanced at M-21. "Anyway, we're going to practice Counter-Strike so we'll be back in a while."

"Sure!" Tao said, watching them leave. They were being _very_ sneaky. Hm.

Tao carried on to the living room to get a cup of tea before he started working out what Takeo and M-21 were doing and saw Seira and Regis there.

"Is there something bothering you?" Seira asked from the kitchen area, studying his face.

"Takeo and M-21 are _plotting_ something," Tao declared, his eyes narrowed. He dropped the act, grinning at her, and made his way to the kitchen.

Regis snorted.

Seira nodded as she raised her hand to her chin. "Yes, I've noticed their behaviour has been peculiar recently."

"Y'see!" Tao said, nodding, putting on the kettle. "And I'm gonna figure out what."

"So long as you don't drag us into it as well," Regis said, eyeing him.

"But aren't _you_ curious what they're doing?" Tao asked as he brought out a cup from a cupboard.

Regis closed his eyes. "No."

Ah, fine; he'd do it all himself.

xOx

Except there was nothing _to_ find out. He apparently had all the pieces, but everything seemed exactly the same, down to every detail; the only thing that was different was Takeo and M-21 would sometimes walk off to do something.

He couldn't follow them and eavesdrop because they would sense and hear him coming, which left… Tao glanced at his computer.

Damn.

They'd made him resort to taking off his handicap. Whatever it was they were doing, it was _good_.

Tao slipped out his room and went downstairs to the security room, the six screens keeping the room constantly illuminated.

He eased himself into his chair, flicking his gaze over the different camera feeds. Takeo and M-21 weren't in the lab, the living room, or the balcony…

Huh, they were in the gaming room.

Tao glanced at the other screens, in case there was something there that wasn't meant to be there, but there wasn't; he enlarged the gaming room feed so it took up an entire screen, switching on the sound at the same time.

"-_score's getting better,_" M-21 said, concentrated on his screen.

Takeo sighed. "_I won't get the berettas then_."

They were silent for a few seconds, clicking the only sound in the room.

"_Do you think he's figured it out yet?_" M-21 asked, the corner of his lips twitching up into a smirk.

Tao perked up, leaning closer to the screen. Ooh, were they going to talk about it?

Takeo chuckled, shaking his head. He then let out a yelp, wildly clicking before he dipped his head. "_Damn,_" he muttered while M-21 let out a soft laugh.

Takeo leaned back, sliding his hands away from the keyboard and mouse. "_No_," Takeo said, "_I don't think he has; he'd be here if he had._"

"_And he won't,"_ M-21 added, his smirk widening.

Argh! What did _that_ mean? Too scrubbed his hair with his hands, trying to think, but nothing came. And Takeo and M-21 _knew_ him and they knew how good he was at finding out information - how were they so confident he couldn't find anything?

But they were right – he _hadn't_ solved it and he wasn't anywhere near to. Damn.

Tao minimised the screen, turning off the sound again. Looked like he was going to have to throw in the towel.

xOx

Tao pushed open the gaming room door, his shoulders hunched, dragging his feet as he entered.

M-21 raised his eyebrows and Takeo turned his head towards him.

"Tao?"

"You win!" Tao said, throwing himself in a chair, sighing. "What are you two planning? I have no idea."

M-21 smirked. "Nothing."

Tao sent him a pitiful look, all wide-eyed and pleading. "Aaah, come ooon!" he wheedled. "You already won so just tell me."

"No," Takeo said, laughing softly, "we really aren't planning anything."

He blinked. Huh?

"We knew you'd figure out anything we tried to do," Takeo continued, "so we just pretended to and let your imagination do the rest."

Tao didn't say anything for a few seconds as he took in M-21's smirk and Takeo's smile before he burst out laughing. "Okay, you got me good. But-" he sent them a sharp-toothed grin "-you realise I'm going to get you back for this, right?"

"We know," Takeo said wryly.

"Just making sure," Tao said cheerfully as he switched on the computer in front of him.

He'd start planning later – in the meantime, he'd have fun kicking their butts in Counter-Strike.

* * *

Prompted by 'Imagine your OTP playing pranks on each other'.

I'd also wanted Tao to think about wearing a deerstalker cap too, haha. XD;


End file.
